Cessna 172M accident near Bedford, Massachusetts, March 4, 1996
On March 4, 1996 at about 7:57 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61992, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bedford, Massachusetts (Hanscom Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight, the pilot's improper compensation for the wind conditions, and the high wind. The instructor's inadequate evaluation of the weather was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1996 · about 7:57 pm local time
- Place
- Bedford, Massachusetts · Hanscom Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61992 · no longer on the register · serial 17264943
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After returning from a cross-country flight and landing on runway 29, the student pilot stopped on a taxiway with the airplane heading about 200 degrees. The pilot reported: '...I landed very smoothly on runway 29...I throttled up a bit to expedite. Right wing wanted to lift. I set ailerons to compensate. I exited (the taxiway), crossed the threshold...A sudden sustained gust of wind came from my right rear. Stick was full forward and full left ailreon ... Right rear continued to lift and turned plane over ...' The winds were reported at 300 degrees at 28 knots. The student pilot was returning from a cross-country flight where he had diverted due to high winds and then received verbal approval to return home. Winds at the time of departure and arrival were in excess of the limitation placed in the student pilot's log book.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 55 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,473 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 17, 1995; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWM Portland ME at 7:00 pm
- Destination: BED
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 29, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 28 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from BED
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.